Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Manama: Faced with a growing crisis that is threatening their business, an increasing number of camel farMers and herders in Saudi Arabia are resorting to social networks to assuage concerns about Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers) infections from the meat or milk of the animals.
The health ministry has so far reported 495 cases, including 152 deaths since the virus appeared in 2012.
The ministry has warned people to keep away from camel milk and raw meat, explaining that some studies suggested a link between the animals and the potentially deadly virus.
In Dammam, the largest city in the Eastern Province, several butchers have reported a dramatic drop in the number of clients willing to buy camel meat, citing the warnings from the authorities, local daily Al Riyadh reported on Wednesday.
Several shops are not taking risks and have decided not to stock camel meat even though its prices have dropped due to the decreased demand, the report said.
Camel owners, worried the situation might compound their misery, have sought to belittle and even denigrate the official warnings, posting pictures of people kissing camels and playfully standing with them.
In one clip, a man was shown kissing a young female camel, patting her head and requesting her to sneeze in his face.
Other pictures showed men standing affectionately next to camels and proudly displaying their love for them.
One poet has reportedly asked the health officials to stop levelling accusations at camels and to look for another “culprit”.
Saudi Arabia authorities have been pushing, mainly through numerous awareness campaigns and a policy of dealing uncompromisingly with the situation, to limit the spread of the virus.
Local media on Wednesday reported that the education ministry ordered every school in the vast kingdom to allocate a room stocked with medical equipment and medicines in order to provide prompt treatment and, at the same time, increase awareness about the virus
By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
